Mission and Vision
Statements
HPR 322
Vision Statement
• Project image of
organization
• Inspiring, clear
challenging, empower
staff (and
customers/clients)
• Should “stand the test of
time”
• Should provide direction,
even when
circumstances change
Examples of Vision Statements


The vision of the American Therapeutic
Recreation Association is to be the premiere
professional membership association
representing recreational therapists,
consumers and stakeholders - ATRA
To be leader in high end and top of the line
cycling applications, with a distinguished
brand able to ignite passion. - Campagnolo
(bicycle parts)


Create a place for people to find happiness
and knowledge - Disneyland
Help a girl reach her highest potential Girlscouts
Mission Statement
• Define the primary
purpose of the agency
• Short and direct, one
paragraph (or less)
• Specific to your agency
• Focus on delivery of
quality programs
• Emphasize organizational
“values”
• Broad, not measurable
Sample Mission Statements
 Cleveland
Metroparks will
conserve significant natural
resources and enhance people's
lives by providing safe, highquality outdoor education,
recreation, and zoological
opportunities. Further, Cleveland
Metroparks Zoo is committed to
improving the future for wildlife.
–Cleveland, Ohio Metroparks
Sample Mission Statements

The City of Tupelo Department of Parks and
Recreation strives to improve the quality of
life for the citizens of Tupelo by providing
professionally designed comprehensive
recreation and leisure programs and
services. To accomplish this mission, the
department:
– Provides diversity in programming opportunities to
meet the changing needs and interests of users
– Maintains safe, well managed facilities and
programs to ensure opportunities for participation
by all
– Fosters the development of knowledge, interests
and behaviors that promote a healthy lifestyle
– Encourages the development of positive attitudes
regarding participant and sportsmanship
– Offers programs and services at a cost that is
affordable to all
Sample Mission Statements cont’d


To deliver an unparalleled guest experience
through the best combination of food, drinks
and games in an ideal environment for
celebrating all out fun
– Dave and Buster’s ( also have 7 “core
values” that further define their mission)
To put Christian principles into practice
through programs that build healthy spirit,
mind, and body for all
– YMCA
Sample Mission Statements cont’d


The mission of the American Therapeutic
Recreation Association is to serve as a
member driven association that collectively
supports the recreation therapy profession
– ATRA www.atra-online.com
NRPA’s Mission is to advance parks,
recreation, and environmental conservation
efforts that enhance the quality of life for all
people
– NRPA (National Recreation and Park
Association; also has vision and “core
values” included in the statement – full
statement can be found at:
http://www.nrpa.org/Content.aspx?id=23
8
For the assignment…
There ‘should’ be a difference between
vision and mission statements, but
sometimes they look similar and/or
are combined and/or are called
something different (“core values”)
 Vision, for the most part means
achieving an ideal circumstance,
looking toward the future, a general or
specific (yet ideal) goal to keep
striving toward (excellence, 100%
success rate, etc.)
 Mission is more like what the
organization works toward on a dayto-day basis
 You need ONLY write a Mission

Recommendations
Don’t steal one (get inspiration from
examples, but please modify in some
way)
 Think about your program goals (we
will cover this topic next) and make
certain the mission and goals are
consistent
 You do not need to address everything
that your sponsoring organization (or
organizations) might ever do; focus on
recreation programs

Recommendations cont’d

Think about the purpose of the
assignment
– Developing a recreation program
– Many of your statements might include
wording that has to do with offering
programs

Other considerations
– What are your priorities/targets? Is your
program for families, youth, people with
disabilities, everyone? Use this information
to guide your mission statement
Examples
The mission of the XYZ recreation
department is to provide quality
program that is appropriate and
accessible for everyone and provides
positive whole family activities, by
offering…..
 The mission of the joint recreation
venture (or recreation partnership)
between The University of ABC and
the Town of PQR is to combine
resources in order to provide the
greatest range of activities for
residents of the area. We meet this

Examples cont’d

Our mission is to use recreation to
challenge children and adolescents
and facilitate their development into
happy, well-adjusted adults. We do
this by……
– XXX Youth Club

We strive to improve the health and
well-being of area residents by making
available fitness equipment, trained
instructors, on-line training plans and
logs 365 days per year. In addition,
we are committed to deliver…..
– YYY Fitness Center
Back to my example
• Water exercise on behalf
of city park and
recreation
• Targeting neighborhood
residents (may be
underserved for
activities)
• Cost effective
• Health promotion is a
goal
Sample Mission

The mission of the OPC is to make
available a variety of health promoting
recreational activities for area residents by
– Offering conveniently scheduled and
conveniently located programming
– Offering accessible programming for any and
all interested residents
– Regularly developing new programming to
meet the needs and desires of residents
– Providing safe and well maintained recreation
facilities
The Real One….

The Oxford Park Commission strives to improve the quality
of life for the citizens of Oxford by providing professionally
designed, comprehensive recreational and leisure programs
and services. To accomplish this mission, OPC:






provides diversity in programming opportunities to meet
the changing needs and interests of users
maintains safe, well-managed facilities and programs to
ensure opportunities for participation by all
fosters the development of knowledge, interests, and
behaviors that promote a healthy lifestyle
encourages the development of positive attitudes regarding
participation and sportsmanship
offers programs and services at a cost that is affordable to
all
More on the Mission
• Note the similarities
among similar
organizations
• See if you can come
up with something
original or creative
• Questions?
Comments?
Mission Statement Activity
 Given
an organization that provides
a product or service, come up with a
mission statement
 Present your statement to the rest of
the class and see if they can guess
the organization (or the product or
service)